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Discover South-east Asia's most Instagrammable spots with Singapore Airlines - from breathtaking temples to lively markets, there is something for everyone in this beautiful part of the world

This eternally exotic region is an eye-opener for travellers, rich with breathtaking spectacles.

There is mystical beauty in its Buddhist temples, its serene sunrises and extraordinary colour everywhere, from the green of virgin rainforest to the luminous blue of the sea, from bustling markets to colonial architecture painted every shade of the spectrum.

Here are the big-hitting photography highlights of the region – a world away, but all easily accessible via Singapore Airlines flights from London and Manchester.

1. Temples of Bagan, Myanmar

More than 2,000 Buddhist temples and pagodas are spread across the plains of Bagan, their gold-leaved stupas and spires rising up out of the acacia trees and the early-morning mist. You can take a sunrise hot-air balloon ride (with balloonsoverbagan.com) to see this spectacle from above, or climb to the top of a temple. Shwesandaw Pagoda is a popular spot, or try quieter Thitsarwadi where the balloons drift directly overhead.

Fly to: Yangon – 22 weekly flights; Mandalay – two weekly flights

2. Mount Batur, Bali

In the wild northwest of Bali sits an active volcano with a summit that’s hard to reach, ensuring only the serious social media stars have the view from the top on their feeds. To reach the summit in time for 360 degree views at sunrise you’ll need to start hiking at 3am so get an early night and hire a guide if you want the best photo possible.

Fly to: Denpasar, Bali – 35 weekly flights

Snap happy: the stunning views from the top of Mount Batur are worth the effortCredit:
Shutterstock

3. Waterfalls of Cebu, Philippines

Take the leafy trail to Kawasan Falls on Cebu island, where freshwater cascades through three pools of opal-fiery blue-green and sunlight slants through the canopy of trees. Wear your red cossie for maximum social-media jungle fever.

Fly to: Cebu – 9 weekly flights

Water feature: take a dip, and some awesome photographs, at Kawasan Falls on Cebu islandCredit:
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4. Phang Nga Bay, Thailand

Cradled between Krabi and Phuket, Thailand’s marine national park of Phang Nga Bay is an otherworldly place where rock formations tower out of jade-green water so bright it seems illuminated from below. Most distinctive is Ko Tapu, the limestone karst known as James Bond Island since it was used as Scaramanga’s hideaway in The Man With The Golden Gun. Take a long-tail boat and putter round the bay’s caves, lagoons and coral reefs that teem with fish.

5. The 4,000 Islands, Laos

Here the Mekong River, which flows through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, is at its widest. Thousands of islands pepper the river with very few big enough to inhabit and even fewer set up for tourists. Expect islands with no cars or streetlights, bungalows on wooden stilts over the river and hammocks.

Fly to: Vientiane and Luang Prabang, Laos – three weekly flights

Off the beaten track: expect few tourists and no cars on these enchanting islandsCredit:
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6. Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Angkor Wat is a grand complex of ancient Buddhist temples that is both awe-inspiring yet serene, a temple mountain rising out of the jungle, exquisitely carved and elegant in its symmetry and style – and manna from nirvana for Instagrammers. Go early to capture the lotus-bud-like towers reflected in the moat at dawn, the saffron-robed monks padding along the sandstone galleries and the sinuous roots of silk-cotton trees writhing around the tumbledown Ta Prohm temples.

8. Floating markets, Vietnam

Handmade wooden boats piled with fruit, flowers, fish and even fridges line up cheek by jowl at the floating markets along Vietnam’s Mekong delta. The biggest and busiest is Cai Rang, not far from Ho Chi Minh City, best experienced early in the morning.

Fly to: Ho Chi Minh City – 19 weekly flights

Market day: arrive early for the best snaps at Cai Rang floating market near Ho Chi Minh CityCredit:
Shutterstock

9. Langkawi SkyBridge, Malaysia

On Malaysia’s smart holiday island, five-star hotels sit on white-sand beaches, backed by Unesco-protected virgin rainforest. Curving high above this rainforest on Machinchang mountain, 328ft above the ground, is the Langkawi SkyBridge, the world’s most spectacular treetop walk. You can zipline through the trees, too.

Fly to: Langkawi – five weekly flights

Reach for the sky: the Langkawi SkyBridge arches high over the rainforestCredit:
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10. Mega Adventure Park, Sentosa Island, Singapore

For high-octane Instagrammers the MegaZip is a must on any trip to Singapore. You set off from the jungle canopy 75m up then soar along a 450m-long wire at speeds of up to 60kph. But what really sets it apart is that there are three wires… so you can race each other, take pictures or film the experience as you slide down towards Siloso Beach.

Fly to: Singapore – four daily flights from London Heathrow; five weekly from Manchester

Island life: snap as you go whirling down the wires at MegaZip towards Siloso BeachCredit:
Shutterstock

Savour the sky

Travellers who value the journey as much as the destination choose Singapore Airlines.

Singapore Airlines' extensive network can fly you in and out of every country in South-east Asia, giving you flexibility to choose your arrival and departure points.

Choose from four daily flights departing from London Heathrow, or one of the five weekly flights from Manchester, to Singapore and the world beyond.

To find out more about the Singapore Airlines experience, visit singaporeair.com